Executivehttp://www.maclife.com/taxonomy/term/607/all
enGoogle May Have to Open Its Real Wallet as PayPal Sues Over Trade Secretshttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/google_may_have_open_its_real_wallet_paypal_sues_over_trade_secrets
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/google_wallet_fast_way_200px.jpg" alt="Google Wallet" width="200" height="150" class="graphic-right" />On Thursday, two Google executives were the central focus of the company’s new Google Wallet initiative -- and are now at the center of a PayPal lawsuit over breaching contracts and misappropriating trade secrets from their former employer.<br /><br /><a href="http://allthingsd.com/20110526/paypal-sues-google-and-two-execs-over-trade-secrets-and-contract-breaches/" target="_blank">AllThingsD is reporting</a> that PayPal has filed suit against Google and two former executives now in charge of the search giant’s Google Wallet service, right on the heels of the company’s announcement on Thursday in New York -- though the lawsuit had already been in the works, so the timing is purely coincidental.<br /><br />At the center of the e-commerce storm is Google VP of commerce Stephanie Tilenius and VP of payments Osama Bedier, who jointly introduced Google Wallet to the world this week. Both executives had been working on similar technology during their tenures at PayPal, where Tilenius left in late 2009 after nine years, followed by Bedier earlier this year after an eight year stretch.<br /><br />PayPal claims that Tilenius recruited Bedier, a violation of her contract, while Bedier’s position as VP of platform, mobile and new ventures gave him a clear view of “PayPal’s capabilities, strategies, plans and market intelligence regarding mobile payment and related technologies.”<br /><br />Perhaps more damning for Bedier is the fact that PayPal was apparently negotiating a deal with Google from 2008 to 2011 to be a key payment option for mobile purchases on the Android Market -- negotiations that Bedier was heading up at the same time he was “also interviewing for a job at Google,” according to PayPal’s claims.<br /><br />PayPal’s suit was filed Thursday morning in Santa Clara Superior Court against both Google and the two executives, claiming “the company and employees misappropriated trade secrets and violated contracts involving recruiting agreements.” Time will tell if Google may have to get out its Nexus S and open its own digital Wallet to settle this mess with PayPal.<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a></em></p><p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/google_may_have_open_its_real_wallet_paypal_sues_over_trade_secrets#commentsNewscontractsdigital moneyExecutiveGoogleGoogle WalletlawsuitsPayPaltrade secretsFri, 27 May 2011 12:07:53 +0000J.R. Bookwalter11127 at http://www.maclife.comReport: Apple Planning to Open Moscow Store by Early 2012http://www.maclife.com/article/news/report_apple_planning_open_moscow_store_early_2012
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/moscow_retail_center_200px.jpg" alt="Hotel Moskva" width="200" height="150" class="graphic-right" />Believe it or not, Apple’s fanbase extends even to the former Soviet Union, where items like the iPhone have been in high grey market demand since its introduction in 2007. Now, it looks like Russia could get an official Apple Store, smack dab in the middle of Red Square in Moscow.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ifoapplestore.com/db/2011/04/06/apple-pushing-eastward-has-plans-for-moscow-store/#more" target="_blank">ifoAppleStore is reporting</a> that Moscow, Russia had a visit from “top executives of Apple’s retail team” last month with the intention to finalize a deal for leasing space inside of the historic Hotel Moskva -- which would bring Apple’s products within a few feet of the once-infamous Red Square, the Kremlin and other Soviet-era Cold War sites now frequented by tourists.<br /><br />“According to sources, Sr. V-P Retail Ron Johnson and V-P Real Estate Bob Bridger visited Moscow at the end of March and toured the three-level retail space in the future Four Seasons Hotel,” the report reveals. “The two were seen examining a 16,000 square-foot, two-level space as a possible Apple store. At the time, no lease had been signed, but a decision could be made soon, sources say.”<br /><br />The website notes that the reconstructed Hotel Moskva retail facilities are “currently in the final stages of construction,” expected to open by the end of this year or early 2012 at the latest.<br /><br />The move into the former Soviet country would follow on the heels of the recently opened Altmarkt-Galerie Apple Store in Dresden, Germany -- formerly known as the Communist state of East Germany. A Moscow store would also be the first Apple Store to land in one of the 15 former Soviet Union republics.<br /><br />“The original Stalin-era Hotel Moskva opened in 1935 as part of a rebuilding plan for Moscow,” explains ifoAppleStore about the potential retail site. “It anchors the northern end of Red Square, is 300 feet from the ‘zero kilometer’ marker for all Russian roads and within steps of several main subway stations. The original architecture featured an imposing stone façade for passersby, and a window view of Communist military parades for hotel room guests. Over 75 years, it has hosted hundreds of world figures and celebrities, and even more high-level Russian dignitaries and politicians.”<br /><br />Sounds like the perfect place for Apple to get its iconic products into the hands of more Russians -- and in plenty of time before the country hosts the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, too.<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a><br /><br />(Image courtesy of ifoAppleStore.com)</em></p><p><em><br /></em></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/report_apple_planning_open_moscow_store_early_2012#commentsNewsApple Inc.Apple RetailApple StoreApple StoresExecutiveMoscowretailRussiaThu, 07 Apr 2011 12:58:00 +0000J.R. Bookwalter10589 at http://www.maclife.comJealous Much? Execs at HP, Dell Have Apple Envyhttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/jealous_much_execs_hp_dell_have_apple_envy
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/dell_shows_off_tablet_200px.jpg" alt="Dell executive with tablet" width="200" height="150" class="graphic-right" />Did you hear the news? Never mind the fact that the iPad 2 is selling out all over the world -- a prominent Dell executive has predicted it’s doomed to fail. Meanwhile, an HP executive claims Apple has a “poor relationship” with its partners.<br /><a href="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/03/30/dell_hp_execs_lash_out_at_apples_ios_successes.html" target="_blank"><br />AppleInsider is reporting</a> on a pair of consumer electronics executives who appear to have a case of Apple envy, particularly when it comes to the company’s hot-selling iPad 2 tablet. Unbelievably, an executive from Dell claims that the iPad will be a failure -- even though it’s clearly the market leader already in this category.<br /><br />“I couldn’t be happier that Apple has created a market and built up enthusiasm but longer term, open, capable and affordable will win, not closed, high price and proprietary,” remarked Dell’s head of marketing, Andy Lark. <a href="http://www.cio.com.au/article/381337/apple_ipad_will_fail_enterprise_dell/" target="_blank">According to <em>CIO Australia</em></a>, Lark claims that the iPad market share will “eventually succumb” to Android and Windows tablets (presumably those from Dell) because of “pressure from an open enterprise market.”<br /><br />"Apple is great if you’ve got a lot of money and live on an island,” Lark added. “It’s not so great if you have to exist in a diverse, open, connected enterprise; simple things become quite complex.”<br /><br />Never mind the fact that Apple’s competitors are stumbling in their efforts to match Cupertino on price -- the consumers are clearly voting with their wallets, and the iPad 2 is winning thus far.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Apple can’t catch a break with another CE executive, HP’s senior vice president of Americas Solution Partners, Stephen DeWitt. "Apple's relationship with partners is transactional, completely,” DeWitt complained. “Apple doesn’t have an inclusive philosophy of partner capabilities, and that's just absurd.”<br /><br />DeWitt’s comments came during <a href="http://www.crn.com/news/applications-os/229400463/hp-exec-lashes-out-at-apples-channel-myopia.htm" target="_blank">an interview with CRN’s Kevin McLaughlin</a> during HP’s Americas Partner Conference in Las Vegas this week. To test the claim, McLaughlin spot-checked with a few channel partners for both HP and Apple.<br /><br />"Unlike Apple, HP is very channel friendly,” one solution provider remarked confidentially. “And if you have an issue with HP you can pick up the phone and talk to someone. That's something that's impossible with Apple. As an Apple partner, I can say that it really feels like they're holding you hostage sometimes.”<br /><br />However, it wasn’t all peaches and cream for HP. “I don't hear much about webOS in the marketplace, and it's going to be tough to build a mobility practice around it," revealed one HP partner. "Apple and Android are the two established marketplaces out there. On the tablet side, why wouldn't you just get an iPad?"<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a><br /><br />(Image courtesy of AppleInsider)</em></p><p><em><br /></em></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/jealous_much_execs_hp_dell_have_apple_envy#commentsNewsApple Inc.DellEnterpriseExecutiveHPiPadmajor retailersMarket Sharetablet marketiPadWed, 30 Mar 2011 13:02:05 +0000J.R. Bookwalter10489 at http://www.maclife.comApple Software Senior VP Bertrand Serlet Leaving After 22 Years with Steve Jobshttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_software_senior_vp_bertrand_serlet_leaving_after_22_years_steve_jobs
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/bertrand_serlet_200px.jpg" alt="Bertrand Serlet" width="200" height="150" class="graphic-right" />It’s fairly rare to hear about a longtime Apple executive leaving their post -- especially one who’s stuck by the company's CEO for over two decades. Apple’s senior vice president of Mac Software Engineering is doing just that.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/03/23serlet.html" target="_blank">Apple announced on Wednesday</a> that longtime senior vice president of Mac Software Engineering Bertrand Serlet is leaving Cupertino after 22 years. Craig Federighi will shift into his place from vice president of Mac Software Engineering, reporting directly to CEO Steve Jobs.<br /><br />“I’ve worked with Steve for 22 years and have had an incredible time developing products at both NeXT and Apple, but at this point, I want to focus less on products and more on science,” said Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, Bertrand Serlet. “Craig has done a great job managing the Mac OS team for the past two years, Lion is a great release and the transition should be seamless.”<br /><br />Serlet spent four years at Xerox PARC prior to joining Steve Jobs’ NeXT in 1989 while the CEO was in exile from Apple. When Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, Serlet came along for the ride and was instrumental in developing Mac OS X. Apple notes that Serlet holds a doctorate in Computer Science from the University of Orsay, France.<br /><br />His replacement, Craig Federighi, also worked at NeXT before Apple, but left for a decade as vice president of Internet Services and chief technology officer for Ariba prior to returning to Apple in 2009 to lead the Mac OS X engineering team. Federighi holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley.<br /><br />While it may be the end of an era for Serlet, Mac OS X certainly isn’t going anywhere, with 10.7 Lion headed our way this summer, bringing with it a bit of iOS to the desktop.</p><p>Check out Bertrand talking about Vista. Hilarious.</p><p><object width="620" height="495"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k3frcpxlMA8?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="620" height="495" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k3frcpxlMA8?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter<br /></a><br />(Image courtesy of Life.com)</em></p><p><em><br /></em></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_software_senior_vp_bertrand_serlet_leaving_after_22_years_steve_jobs#commentsNewsApple Inc.Bertrand SerletExecutiveMac OS XNeXTpress releaseSteve JobsMacWed, 23 Mar 2011 13:13:18 +0000J.R. Bookwalter10424 at http://www.maclife.comApple Retail VP on What Makes Their Stores Successfulhttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_retail_vp_what_makes_their_stores_successful
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/Regent_Street_Apple_Store_380px.jpg" alt="Apple Store Regent Street" width="380" height="253" /><br /><em>(Image courtesy of 9to5Mac)</em><br /><br />Despite successfully launching ever-bolder retail locations around the world, one of the busiest continues to be Apple’s Regent Street store in London -- and it served to offer the executive behind it a wealth of lessons that are well-served in other locations.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.9to5mac.com/apples_retail_secret" target="_blank">9to5Mac is reporting</a> that Apple’s Regent Street store in the United Kingdom continues to be one of the busiest worldwide, according to senior vice-president of retail Ron Johnson <a href="http://www.retail-week.com/stores/apple-the-tech-company-transforming-retail/5016109.article" target="_blank">in a recent interview with <em>Retail Week</em></a>.<br /><br />“Regent Street taught me the most,” reveals Johnson. “It was a big bet to put in a big store like that, but it worked. Today, Regent Street is our highest traffic store in the world.”<br /><br />It doesn’t seem that long ago that an Apple retail store seemed like a crazy idea, but now Cupertino finds itself envied by even those with far more retail experience, looking for ways that they can replicate such success around the globe.<br /><br />“10 years ago, we decided that, as a company that wanted to win in innovation, we wanted customers to experience the product at first hand,” Johnson explains. That includes plenty of products on display, complete with free Wi-Fi to show them off in the best way possible.<br /><br />“Our primary objective is to create a place that people will love,” the executive said. Referring to the just-launched Covent Garden location in London, Johnson says, “We’ve not only created a store, we’ve created a place for people to be.”<br /><br />So what’s the recipe for Apple’s success? Johnson says it’s simple: The staff is taught “to look in the heart, not the pocket book” when dealing with their customers.<br /><br />Of course, with a company with as much money as Apple, that’s an easy thing to do -- but it provides a good lesson even for small businesses just starting out.<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a></em><br /><br /></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_retail_vp_what_makes_their_stores_successful#commentsNewsApple Inc.Apple RetailApple StoresExecutiveFri, 13 Aug 2010 12:46:07 +0000J.R. Bookwalter7926 at http://www.maclife.comHit the Road, Mark: iPhone Executive Papermaster Leaves Applehttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/hit_road_mark_iphone_executive_papermaster_leaves_apple
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/Mark_Papermaster_270px.jpg" alt="Mark Papermaster" width="267" height="304" /><br /><br />Over the weekend, Apple gossip was again focused on the company’s popular new iPhone 4 -- but in this case, it was the departure of the executive in charge of the handset hardware and the circumstances surrounding that leave that seemed to be grabbing all of the headlines.<br /><br /><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704268004575417572159585144.html" target="_blank"><em>The Wall Street Journal</em> is reporting</a> that Mark Papermaster, the executive hired only two years ago to head up Apple’s iPhone hardware division, has left the company, reportedly in a falling out with CEO Steve Jobs, according to “people familiar with the situation.”<br /><br />Papermaster’s departure is mired in even more controversy than his arrival. He was hired in late 2008 to replace iPod chief Tony Fadell, but Papermaster’s former employer, IBM, subsequently filed a lawsuit claiming the executive was breaking a non-compete agreement. The new iPhone hardware chief didn’t settle into his new position at Apple until April, 2009 -- during CEO Steve Jobs’ six-month sick leave to receive a liver transplant.<br /><br />49-year-old Papermaster has now left his post as Apple’s senior vice president for mobile devices, and the finger of blame is largely being pointed at the iPhone 4’s notorious antenna reception issues. But people familiar with the departure claim that&nbsp; it was “driven by a broader cultural incompatibility” -- meaning the executive likely had a hard time fitting into Apple’s corporate culture, which is likely much different from that of IBM.<br /><br />According to sources, “Papermaster had lost the confidence of Mr. Jobs months ago and hasn’t been part of the decision-making process for some time,” adding that “Papermaster didn’t appear to have the type of creative thinking expected at Apple and wasn’t used to Apple’s corporate culture, where even senior executives are expected to keep on top of the smallest details of their areas of responsibility and often have to handle many tasks directly, as opposed to delegating them.”<br /><br />Neither Papermaster nor Apple were willing to respond to requests for a comment, which has left analysts trying to fill in the blanks. “This guy came from IBM and he was in charge of iPhone 4 hardware, but IBM doesn’t have antenna technology,” said Gleacher &amp; Co. analyst Brian Marshall. Piper Jaffray &amp; Co. analyst Gene Munster tends to agree: “It’s too coincidental not to be related to the antenna issues.”<br /><br />Whatever the case, Papermaster’s duties are now being handled by Bob Mansfield, Apple’s senior vice president of computer engineering, who was featured prominently in the iPhone 4 promo videos. Mansfield already manages several aspects of the iPhone 4 hardware, including the Retina Display and the A4 processor.<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a></em><a href="http://www.twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank"><br /><br /></a></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/hit_road_mark_iphone_executive_papermaster_leaves_apple#commentsNewsApple Inc.ExecutiveIBMiphone 4iPhoneMon, 09 Aug 2010 12:51:07 +0000J.R. Bookwalter7855 at http://www.maclife.comIt’s Splitsville for the “Godfather” of the iPodhttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/it%E2%80%99s_splitsville_%E2%80%9Cgodfather%E2%80%9D_ipod
<!--paging_filter--><img alt="Original iPod" class="graphic-right" height="287" src="/files/u220903/iPod_original_250px.jpg" width="250" />Sure, we know that Apple CEO Steve Jobs usually gets all the credit for the iPod (or at least shares it with designer Jonathan Ive), but one of the guys who really got his hands dirty on the original device has left Apple.<br /><a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/29/godfather-of-ipod-severs-final-ties-with-apple/?src=twt&amp;twt=nytimesbits" target="_blank"><em><br />The New York Times</em> is reporting</a> that Tony Fadell, credited as one of the creators of both the iPod and the iPhone, announced Monday night that he has officially left Apple after nine years with the company.<br /><br />So <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Fadell" target="_blank">who is Tony Fadell</a>? He’s the guy who “first envisioned a hard-drive-based digital music player in the 1990s,” according to the newspaper. The visionary first brought the idea to Seattle-based Real Networks, “where he reportedly clashed with Real’s chief executive, Rob Glaser, and left after six weeks.”<br /><br />That departure landed him at Apple’s doorstep in 2001, where he worked for former Apple senior vice president Jon Rubinstein, now the chief executive at Palm. In 2006, Fadell replaced Rubinstein as the head of the iPod division, but stepped down in 2008 and remained on Apple’s payroll as a special adviser to Steve Jobs.<br /><br />Fadell declined to talk about his work with Apple when reached by phone by the <em>Times</em>, but said he was “moving on to advise companies and pursue private investments,” with a particular focus on green technology.<br /><br />“My primary focus will be helping the environment by working with consumer green-tech companies,” Fadell concludes. “I’m determined to tell my kids and grandkids amazing stories beyond my iPod and iPhone ones.”<br /><br />http://www.maclife.com/article/news/it%E2%80%99s_splitsville_%E2%80%9Cgodfather%E2%80%9D_ipod#commentsNewsApple Inc.ExecutiveProfileiPodTue, 30 Mar 2010 12:34:21 +0000J.R. Bookwalter6358 at http://www.maclife.com